The Gators and Wolverines open the season vs. each other on Sep. 2. Michigan, in quirky and absolutely pointless fashion, is refusing to release a roster until Aug. 30. Why? If we could explain Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s thought process at times, we’d probably be pretty rich.

So anyway, there’s no list of players for McElwain and his staff to rely on at the moment for the game in 10 days.

The Michigan secrecy has gotten to the point where New Jersey Advance Media attempted a Freedom of Information Act request to get the names of the players on the football team. Michigan told the group that it had “no responsive record.” NJAM now has made a further request for a list of scholarship football players — something that is readily and easily available — to the school.

But this is absurd. There’s no real schematic advantage to be gained from this, and Harbaugh likely knows it. By not releasing a roster, Harbaugh’s program suddenly isn’t a bubble. Florida has ways of knowing who is on the team.

And heck, Florida can counter with a little deception of its own. McElwain said there’s a distinct possibility that QBs Malik Zaire, Feleipe Franks and Luke Del Rio will all play against the Wolverines because of the way they’ve practiced.

“I think there’s some things that they all bring to the table that are really good,” McElwain said. “Now the key to us is putting them in those positions, you know, that play to their strengths. Will all play? I don’t know yet. Will a couple of them play? I don’t know yet.”

The Florida coach also said he wasn’t playing mind games unlike his Michigan counterpart.

“There are no mind games … Definitively, that is a true statement,” McElwain said.